Improvement in detritus-pumps



UNITED STAT S PATENT Your on.

EUGENE MOREAU, or sAN nnANcIsco, CALIFORNIA, AssIeNon TO AMERICAN MININGAND DREDGING COMPANY.

IMPROVEMENT IN, DETRlTUS-PUMPS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 207,887, dated September 10, 1878; application filed v March 7,1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE MonEAU, of

the city and county of San Francisco,'an d State of California, have invented an Im-' said substances in any direction to the desired point of discharge.

My invention relates, first, to certain inrprovements in the shape of the receiving case or chamber, whereby a greater facility and evenness of discharge is obtained, and, secondly, to a water-pressure joint, for prevent in g particles of the raised material from getting between the'moving faces of the joint which connects the suction-pipe and rotating disk, all as hereinafter more fully described.

Gr represents the centrifugal wheel or 'disk.= This wheel or disk I make with a hub-like extension on one side. An opening or passage, G1, extends through this hub-extension into the body of the disk, and one or more radial passages, G leadfrom this central opening to the circumference of the disk, as shown. This wheel or disk I attach to the lower end of a vertical driving shaft or spindle, E, so that it will be suspended and rotated below the frame in which the shaft or spindle is supported at the top by means of the collar R.

The suction-pipe H I O, as will be readily understood,-extends from the bottom of the" lake, river, bay, or excavation up to the wheel or disk G,-and its upper end abuts squarely against or close to the end of the hub-extension. I

The surrounding case I make in two parts, the lower part,A, being shaped like a hopper, while the upper part is the frustruin of a cone, and made to fit down closely upon the lower part. The upper edge of the'lower part has an outward-projecting flange surrounding it,

which rests upon the timber B of a wooden frame, and the lower edge of theupper part has a similar flange, so that when the flanges are in place they can be secured together by bolts or otherwise, as shown. The wheel or disk'is supported in the upper part of the case, so that its radiating passages will discharge the'mate'rial against the inclined or diverging sides A of the upper part of the cases.

A sufficientspace is left between the walls of the case and the disk, so that the material can be discharged freely from the rim of the wheel into the case or chamber A.

It is important that the inclined or diverging sides be placed oppositethe rim of the disk, in order to avoid too great wear from the impact of the stones a'ndother solid substances thrown against-them by the wheel. These substances will glance from'the inclined sides without doing much injury, whereas if "the sides were parallel with the rim of the wheel the continued abrasion would soon wear the case through.

The suction-pipe H I 0 passes through the side of the case, and'extends up inside of it to the hub of the disk, and between the face of the runner and thefaoe of the suction-pipe.

, A current of water under pressure is allowed to flow betwee'n'thetwo by means of the pipe M and channel Jo.

The spindle passes through a stuffing-box, F, on the frame, and a groove, L is made around it, and is connected, by the pipe M with the pump, so that a water-joint is also formed around the spindle',-Wh ich serves to keep out dirt, sand, and gravel.

A driving-pulley, P, is fastened to thespiudle, to which the power fordriving the disk is applied by means of a belt.

The operation of the machine is asfollows:

The case A is first filled withwater,*and, the power being applied, the disk G revolves'rapidly. The waterinthe-channels-Gr G is .discharged by the centrifugal force, thus leaving a vacuum at G. The water ofthe river rushes up through the suction-nozzle 0 into the pipe 0, I, H, and G into the channels Gr G and thus a continuous current is established between 0 and the case A, where the pressure of the accumulated water. forces it down toward G into the elbow J and up the discharge-pipe K. The solid substances, stones, or gravel, mixed with the water, will come up with it, to be ejected out of the channels G and, glancing against the sides A of the case, will come down with the current into the pipe J K, from which it is discharged.

The tendency of the machine is to draw the water and. sand or pebbles through the joint h, the pressure of the water in the caseAaddin g itself to the vacuum at G to produce that result, the consequence of which would be the rapid destruction of the joint h. This is entirely obviated by the introduction of a current of water between the faces of the joint at a pressure greater than the pressure of the water in the case A. This current allows the ioint to be made very close, and effectually shuts oif the material in A from any communication with the suction-pipe I H. The.

pressure of the water inAwould also push the sand or other gritty substance into the stuffing-box F if not prevented by the application of the current of water at L said water acting on this joint, as described above.

Having shown the construction of my machine and its operation, 1 will now endeavor to show wherein my invention differs from the machines already known.

My pump, like many made before, is essentially composed of a runner inclosed in a box,

said runner having an opening in the center,

opposite the suction-pipe, and discharging the material at its periphery into a case, the latter being provided with a discharge-pipe. So far, these characteristics are common to a great number of pumps, and therefore I would not claim this combination as new; but I would claim as new and patentable such improvements in the shape and relative position of parts never made before, and the result of which would be to greatly increase the capabilities of the machine."

In ordinary centrifugal pumps the periphery of the disk is too close to the walls of the case, either all around or at some point of it, to allow gravel, and especially large stones, to be ejected safely from the disk without danger of being caught between the revolving runner and the inclosing-case, and, at least, of interfering with the discharge.

Now, it is obvious that the first thing to do to remedy that defect is to enlarge the case all round opposite the line of discharge of the revolving disk, so as to leave suflicient room for a free exit of the solid material from the channels G. This is an important improvedischarge without danger of undue accumulation. This is done by making the box A, opposite the periphery of the disk, in the shape of an inverted funnel, and the lower part, A, of the box converging to the discharge'point 0, so that the material coming out of the channels G glances against the diverging sides A, andis thrown down toward 0. Everything in this combination tends to send the material continuously in the direction of the discharge pipe, even the action of gravity, which is made to help attaining the result.

I could have made the runner vertical, as in a great number of pumps, and inclosed it in my enlarged case; but the evenness of distribution of the material in the box would not be so perfect as that which is thrown up at the top would have to come down again to reach the discharge. For this reason, although I have made plans for a machine running vertically, I rejected this method on account of the more perfect action of the horizontal one. 77

The inclosing-box could be made in a curved shape, instead of beingtwo parts of pyramids, A and A 5 but the result would not be materially afl'ected, and the plan adopted is much the cheapest for first construction.

I have also made the runner with only one channel, G2, in the shape of an elbow, and, although this shape is very good for the flow of the material, the adoption of two or more channels has the advantage of keeping the rotating disk perfectly balanced.

I believe the constructionof the joint of the I runner with the suction-pipe and the application to it of the current of water under pressure have been sufficiently described above to require no more mention.

The suction-pipe O I can be made flexible, or telescopic, or jointed, so as to suit circumstances.

I do not broadly claim the method of lubricating bearings by forcing water under pressure between the bearing-faces, as this is the palier glisscmt method of lubricating and-relieving bearings.

Having thus shown the construction and operation of mymachine, and pointed out wherein it differs essentially from machines of the same class,-what I claim as new in my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-- 1. A dredging-pump consisting of the rotating disk G, with its radiating passages G and the suction-pipe H I 0, said disk and suction-pipe being connected by a joint, in combination with a device for forcing clear water between the two faces of the joint, with the groove h, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

2. The method of protecting moving joints which are exposed to wear from sand and foreign matter, consisting in forcing clear water between the faces of said joints at a higher substantially as and forthe purpose herein depressure than that of the surrounding matescribed. rial, substantially as herein described. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my 3. The combination of a centrifugal pump;- hand and seal.

I G, with a suction-pipe, H 10 water'paoked joint h, and hoppenshaped-vessel A, the up- EUGLNE MOREAU' I per part of which has diverging 7. sides A Witnesses:

said chamber having a discharge-pipe, J K, GEO. H. STRONG,

the Whole combined and arranged to operate FRANK A. BROOKS. 

